Most kids in seventh grade are trying to find their way in the world. The 12- and 13-year-olds are searching for identity, the old "who am I?" question. Several of the students in Darryl Wilbur's English class at Warwick Middle School explored that question by writing little books and illustrating them, often using animals to tell the tale.

Most kids in seventh grade are trying to find their way in the world. The 12- and 13-year-olds are searching for identity, the old "who am I?" question. Several of the students in Darryl Wilbur's English class at Warwick Middle School explored that question by writing little books and illustrating them, often using animals to tell the tale.

Several of the stories have universal themes, including learning to be comfortable with who you are, and learning to respect people who are different.

The books are a first for the veteran teacher, who says, "The response was extraordinary. The students had to search for their creativity in writing and illustrating their stories, and they came up with some really fascinating insights."

Several of the students dedicated their books to Wilbur; the rest to their parents. The most unusual was Jared Olson's dedication to his grandfather Charles Floyd Olson, who 60 years ago flew as a navigator on a B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress.

In his book "Saved by the Enemy," Jared writes in the first person as his grandfather: first fighting the air war 15,000 feet up, being shot down, ending up a POW of the Nazis. In a prison escape, the "enemy" of the title helped save the soldier and his buddy, Icy.

Here are excerpts from some of the other books:

"Ruby, the Purple Blue Jay" was written and illustrated by Ava Heatley, Jessie Lilly and Christina Jackson. The moral of the story about being different: "Ruby learned that everybody is different in their own special way ... that's the good part. Ruby began to accept herself as being different, and other birds as well." "Mr. Long-Nose," written and illustrated by Rebecca Holzhauer, tells the tale of a teacher named Mr. Longwood. The kids make fun of him because he has a big nose. After they learn to accept him and realize he cares about them, "The children continued to call him Mr. Long-Nose but he knew they were just kidding around, so he didn't really seem to mind." The point of the story: "He taught the children that no matter what someone looks like, you shouldn't judge them until you get to know them." "The Cat With No Tail," written and illustrated by William Marmor and Sarah Milby. Along the journey of discovery, Boots, the cat, "realized that everyone is different ... like the dog that was born with three legs or the owl that was missing an eye and the fish that had a small fin. Even if someone is different, they shouldn't be made fun of." In "Peyton's Day at the Zoo" by Emily Jados and Rachel White, Payton escapes to the zoo. She is tired of "not fitting in with her family," so she tries living with the animals. But that didn't work out: She couldn't sleep because "the monkeys were party animals," she couldn't eat with the giraffes because they were vegetarians, and the elephants "were just too big." When she went back to her family, "she realized that the place she belonged best was with her family." "The Birthday Balloon" by Taylor Randell and Ronnie Broere deals with a kid named Tom who steals from his friends. When they confront him, he tells them "the whole story of his jealousy and panic." They decide to forgive him, when he reaches into his bag and gives them back the stuffed animals he stole. "They were friends again ...Tom learned a lot from this experience. His most important lesson was that jealousy only leads to bad things and that telling the truth is the best thing to do." "Jeremiah" by Elizabeth Schweitzer and Christina Wenman tells the story of a fly who wants to be something else. He goes on a journey to New York City. "On the way, he found a rat. Jeremiah decided he wanted to be a rat, but he couldn't stand the smell of the sewer." Jeremiah then said he wanted to be a fish, "but he couldn't swim." He also wanted to be a dog, "but he couldn't bark." At the end, "Jeremiah learned that being a fly was the best he could be and that he was perfect all along."